Having fun might be key to success for Clemson's Boyd

Tuesday

Sep 24, 2013 at 12:01 AMSep 25, 2013 at 12:29 AM

Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd is getting quite the early reality check of what life in a fishbowl can be.

By ERIC BOYNTONeric.boynton@shj.com

CLEMSON — Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd is getting quite the early reality check of what life in a fishbowl can be.The majority of quarterbacks across the country would be elated to complete 24 of 37 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions in taking home a first conference victory on the road.Those were Boyd's numbers in Thursday's 26-14 win at North Carolina State, but it was a pair of first-half overthrows for would-be touchdowns to wide-open receivers Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant in addition to several other out-of-rhythm plays that have garnered the most attention.Such is the level of scrutiny on a daily basis that dogs the existence of one of the nation's most talented and best-known players.After the massive season-opening win over Georgia, this was the first outing since a bye week followed a 52-13 thrashing of South Carolina State where Boyd again was less than stellar in a limited role, completing 14 of 23 for 169 yards and no touchdowns. His main replacement, Cole Stoudt, was 19 of 20 for 143 and three touchdowns.“Our expectations are monstrous for Tajh and his own expectations are as well,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We need to go back, take a deep breath, and talk through this. It's really early in the season. Yeah, he missed a few plays early in the (N.C. State) game he wishes he had back and we could've probably had a little better lead at halftime if make a few plays that were there. But heck, he came back and played lights out. He's just awesome. You look up and see 24 of 37 and probably should've been 32 of 37.” Boyd's coaches have noticed their star is trying to be too perfect, trying to live up to massive hype both on a personal and team level, and that can affect even the calmest of players.“Tajh just has to relax and go play,” offensive coordinator Chad Morris told the media Monday. “I shared that with him, we've talked about it. He's got to go have fun, and it's as if he's just putting so much on himself that the little things are slipping with him. Again, he's a great competitor and he wants to be perfect and he wants to make every throw and do it all. At some point you have to just relax, go play and have fun. I think that's something he feels like he has so much on him that he's not having any fun with it.”Boyd acknowledged Tuesday he has to get back to the root of things, readjust his mechanics as well as his attitude in terms of bringing the joy back into playing the game again. The constant talk of being a top Heisman Trophy contender, the stress of knowing the third-ranked Tigers will only go as far as he takes them and the personal legacy that looms are all factors in taking the fun away.Boyd is still very much Boyd while interacting with the media and the public — humble, confident, gregarious and downright playful with no signs of any “me-first” attitude that sometimes plagues the nation's elite. His movie-star grin is ever-present when the helmet is off and he's aware he needs to retain that type of persona even as he's competing at the highest level between the lines. Boyd deflected talk that he's finding his mountain of attention far more burdensome than he could've imagined.“I wouldn't say it's so much more stressful,” Boyd said. “The expectations I have for myself and this program are pretty high. I've always expected more out of myself than anyone else expected. Nothing has changed, so I'm in the process of fixing some things and trying to have fun right now and just enjoying my teammates for this last go-round.“Being so involved in the offense and being here for a while, I have expectations of what the offense is supposed to look like, and after a while I think you kind of forget what it looked like earlier on each season. Each year it always starts off a little bit rocky, a little bit on the other side of the fence, and for me I need to understand it does take time.“We're on the right path right now and once we get going and once we click, it's just like a freight train, there's going to be no stopping, no slowing down, and I'm excited to see when that hits.”